In a private briefing Wednesday, officials told families missing loved ones from the collapsed Champlain Towers South condominium complex in Surfside, Florida that the search and rescue mission would turn to search and recovery.
The officials said that after almost two weeks, survivors would not be found, The New York Times reported. (RELATED: Judge Reportedly Denies Request To Save Stranded Pet From Surfside Condo Before Demolition)
In tribute to lives lost, our rescue teams held a moment of silence & prayer near the Surfside building collapse. With heavy hearts, we begin search & recovery efforts, and will continue to give our all as our commitment still remains to reunite families with their loved ones. pic.twitter.com/FJ7GKWXhXn
— Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (@MiamiDadeFire) July 8, 2021
“Just based on the facts, there’s zero chance of survival,” Assistant Chief Ray Jadallah of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue told families, according to The New York Times.
At a news conference, Jadallah said workers were trying to find living victims but are now recovering dead bodies, according to The New York Times. He said four floors had collapsed onto each other, with the pancake-like separation between them totaling three feet, according to The New York Times.
Two weeks after a #Miami-area condominium tower collapse, there is now “zero chance” that survivors could still be found in the rubble, a #fire official told family members.#SurfsideCollapse https://t.co/tVvqLaT339
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) July 7, 2021
Jadallah said these pockets of space will not enable people to survive, The New York Times reported. Jadallah also said that a person cannot survive without air, water, or food for that amount of time, and that dogs, sound sensors and cameras had not discovered any living victims since the collapse, according to The New York Times.
“We have all asked God for a miracle,” Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade County said at a news conference. “So the decision to transition from rescue to recovery is an extremely difficult one.”